Brains Are Back!

This is the piece that needs to be amplified - and I'm thankful that the people have taken a stand for trusting in sound intellectual judgment - or should I say reality. The past years of strict ideologies and anti-intellectualism have been an insult to the citizens of America and beyond. The core of this movement in reality is education - something America has been faltering on (with the exception of the ones who can afford it). Hopefully the new administration can move us in a direction that brings a lot of people along with the idea of 'using their brains' instead of acting like lemmings - getting rid of the fear-mongering is the initial step. The second step is to make our educational system globally competitive so we do not continue on the path to dumbness. Nice article, more please.

Yeah!!!
It's Ok for me to be a patriotic liberal intellectual again!!!!
Besides..I'm just so glad to see people realizing that being smart HELPS when you're trying to solve problems.
Any more "from the gut" governing and all our "guts" would be telling us is that we're all hungry.

If Obama is smart , he'll expedite the construction of the TransCanada pipeline project that starts from Alaska, runs through Canada and into the lower 48 states. This will alleviate your dependence on gas and oil from nations that don't like the USA. Its a relatively quick fix because the planning is done and it could be constructed and in production in relatively short order. Also, this will create thousands and thousands of jobs.
Its up to Obama to demonstrate the political will to act on this to see this implemented. Everybody scoffs at Sarah Palin when she talked about this during the election but everyone in the oil and gas industry which includes myself , agree with her 100 %. Ball is in your court Obama. Do the right thing...and don't stall.

I'm a 70 yr old white female who attended Oberlin Conservatory and College from 1956-60. There were so many smart students and talented musicians I ended up in the middle when grades were on a curve. I felt at home there among my own kind. And there were many African students attending on a Ford Foundation Grant. I devoted my life to helping people realize their capabilities as a piano teacher and volunteer tutor of disadvanted students to help them read, write, and understand fractions. I'm just thrilled to have Obama as our next president. I remember years ago when Nixon wanted to have a C student, Huskra, on the Supreme Court. It bothered me so much I took a graduate course at the U of Denver: The Intellectual History of the United States to figure out how such a statement could be made by our President. Political expediency. Now smart Obama will have a smart team to help him guide our country back to health.

I would argue that this country was founded on intellectual snobbery. Why do you think we have the electoral college? so the excitable masses couldn't ruin the country.

Also, there are intellectual conservatives, just look at George Will, Andrew Sullivan, et al. The route the Republican Party has taken of late is anti-intellectual and for whatever reason, ignorance is heralded in this country as being "real" and that being educated somehow makes you a snob.

"We, who are conservative, will be sent off to the Gulag for our crimes."

Ah so the persecutors fear persecution? Relax. Obama "doesn't seem to care much about what is "left," "right" or ideologically pure. Or what he thinks God is saying to him" I can see how this is a bit of a shock to you.

Great article and nice reminder why I keep reading Michael Hirsh's work.